Will You Remember Me?
by Lily Rosier
Summary: A few years after the Battle of Northern Crater, Cloud and Co. are on another adventure. What's with this new materia? What's happening to Mt. Nibel? Can Aeris reveal some answers? Read and find out!
1. Goodbyes Are So Hard

"Will You Remember Me?" - Chapter 1 ** Chapter 1: Goodbye's Are So Hard **

"Well," Tifa sighed, looking down, happiness shining in her tired eyes as she set the final crate on the raft with eight others. A sense of completion welled up within her - as well as one of finality and dread, which she pushed away without hesitation - as she waded into the shallows of the lake, stopping briefly to haul herself onto slightly unstable craft. She began rowing when Cloud called after her. 

"How are you coming with that materia, Tifa? Need any help?" Cloud's voice rang and echoed in the quiet, cavernous room. 

Tifa wiped her brow and smiled inwardly as she shouted back her reply, "Yeah, almost!" She resumed pushing the barge full of crates of materia to the middle of the lake and she could hear heavy footsteps descending the stairs to the shore of the lake. 

"Wait! I've got more!" Cloud was stumbling down the stairs with a much larger crate, and in his haste to catch her, tripped at the foot of the stairwell, sending his cargo skittering and clattering everywhere. 

She looked at him in amusement. "Are you sure you want to bury this stuff? We might need it someday. I mean, mastered materia is worth quite a bit of gil and there are still monsters out there. I'd feel safer if our weapons stayed dry." 

"I know that, and I've given it a lot of thought," he replied calmly, stooping to pick up the scattered weapons and his bruised ego. Placing his Ultima Sword beside Heaven's Cloud and Organics and Tifa's Premium Heart, he came across _her_ Princess Guard, the materia still glittering coldly in the slots. Her memory so often pervaded his thoughts. Hers was an innocent life, so beautiful and pure in it's honest simplicity, and loving almost to a fault. And he'd tried to kill her. No matter how many years would pass that would erode the guilt, he could never forgive himself. 

He remembered looking up to see the Masamune, the cold, ruthless blade glittering in the sunlight, descending like a soul cast down from Heaven and claim her beautiful life. _Hah,_ Cloud laughed mirthlessly to himself. _Masamune? Valkyrie's more like it._ And Sephiroth... he who possessed the accursed "Valkyrie," he was the one who had guided the evil, gleaming blade through the innocent chest as it rose and fell with slow, calm breaths. 

The look of surprise on her face at the sudden intrusion of pain would be forever etched into his mind. 

"Cloud?" Tifa asked, curious as to what he was so engrossed in. She began rowing back to the shore when he turned around, gripping the staff tightly. "Hmm? What is it, Aeris?" 

Tifa stopped, letting the raft bump harshly against the shore. _Aeris..._

She had, just a moment before, been entertaining thoughts of a romantic dinner that she would prepare for him that evening. She'd waited long enough. Tonight was the night that she'd finally tell _him_ how _she_ felt. She was tired of waiting and wondering and hoping and praying that he had secretly been returning the love that she wished at him so adamantly every day. Every morning she awoke and, with eyes shut tight, prayed that today would be the day that he proclaimed his love for her. She'd constructed a careful dream house of delicate crystal in her imagination, with a stable in the back and children playing in the front yard with curtains shielding the inside from prying eyes and Cloud standing proudly by her side. But finally she realized that maybe he shared her same fears of not being loved in return. Maybe he really did love her. Maybe if she confided her feelings, he would admit so also. Maybe... 

If he could ever get over the fact that Aeris was gone. Forever... 

But her dream house came crashing down around her, the crystalline shards cutting and stabbing her and she cried aloud from the pain of her heart breaking within her. 

"What's wrong? Is there something behind me?" He turned, body already tensed for a battle, to see what could have spooked her so thoroughly. 

She started at a walk, her pace getting faster and faster until she was in an all out run. She pushed past him and stumbled up the stairs, tears threatening to spill over. _Don't let him see you cry, Lockheart_, she berated herself. She stumbled at the crossroads that led to the Capital and the city. She knelt, defeated, on bruised knees and with a broken heart, wept for the broken wings her heart bore and her friend whose name he so often cried out in fitful nightmares and for Cloud himself. Above all, she wept for herself. She knew it had been coming, slowly but surely, like and awful wave of demons ripping and tearing at her dreams. 

Cold determination shone in her intense eyes and the eternal love she bore for him desperately trying to mend her heart before it shared the same fate as Usher and collapsed in upon itself. But the gossamer thread of her grief, like spiders' delicate silk, pulled however taught across the grieving crevice of her broken heart failed under the weight of her sadness. She violently shook the tears from her eyes. She'd made up her mind. Everything was clear. Crystal clear. As crystal as the water they'd laid her to rest in for eternity. 

With newfound strength she stood, suddenly calm and peaceful, as if Death had come to claim her. She made a slow, solemn procession toward the house they were using as their temporary home and research center. She knew where she was going and exactly how she was going to get there. 

"Tifa!" 

She continued, as if possessed by some unknown, but that crystal clarity she'd felt began dimming and hazing over with fresh tears and doubt, yet she kept on. She faltered when he stood in her path and took her hands in his. He gazed into her warm, gentle chocolate eyes and searched her heart with his own mako eyes. She returned his questioning gaze with a startled look, as if he'd awakened her from a peaceful, pall-like slumber. 

"Tifa, what's wrong? Where are you going?" 

She suddenly burst into tears and, crying out in a strangled voice, pushed Cloud away. Covering her face with shaking hands, she turned away from him and ran. He followed her to their house, desperately trying to illicit a response. She madly packed bags, stuffing whatever she could grasp into saddlebags and backpacks while a breathless Cloud stood nearby, helpless. 

Finally, she looked up into his eyes, her own wide with tears shining in the corners. She looked scared and broken and his heart broke as he realized what he'd done. He thought about Aeris so often, and he'd occasionally catch himself before a slip of tongue. It was inevitable, though. "Oh, God, Tifa...I'm so sorry...I didn't mean-" 

"Stop it!" she cried, turning away from him again. 

"What?" He was confused. He'd apologized, but she still wasn't happy? What did she want from him? It was an honest mistake... 

"I'm leaving," she stated shakily. She began gathering her belongings as he came up behind her and pulled her into a backward hug so that his arms were around her waist, but she was thrown off balance and fell backward, landing on top of Cloud as they both hit the floor. He began laughing nervously and looked up into her face, only to be met with her stone-cold gaze. She stood. 

"You're still not over Aeris..." she whispered. "She's gone, Cloud. What can I do to make you accept that?" 

Cloud stood, but remained speechless. He was desperately searching his heart for something - anything - to say, but found only lame excuses. 

After a long silence, she gave a rueful laugh and continued. "I'm going to leave...maybe go back to Nibelheim for a while," she laughed again and unconsciously placed a hand over her chest, which had begun to ache. "And yes, I know that Nibelheim is just a shadow of what it used to be. Imagine... going back there again! Going back to a bunch of ex-ShinRa actors..." Another excruciatingly painful silence. 

Silent tears began to rain down from her downcast eyes as her fingers mindlessly clutched at her shirt, spurred by the dull, growing ache that resided there. Doubts began flooding her mind and she contemplated running to him and throwing her arms around his neck, apologizing profusely all the while. Only when the silence became overwhelming did she dismiss the idea - reluctantly. 

"Maybe we'll meet again someday, Cloud." She said, sounding a bit more hopeful than she'd wished. She paused to looked up, then began walking toward the door. She stopped in the doorway, turned, and choking back a sob, said, "Good-bye's...are so hard..." He blinked as she faded into the brilliant sunlight flooding through the open doorway and when opened his eyes again, there was nothing but the heavy black clouds drowning out the sunlight that was just there. His sunlight was gone and there was no one to blame but himself and his troubled heart. 

End of Chapter 1 


	2. Wandering

"Will You Remember Me?" - Chapter 2 ** Chapter 2: Wandering **

Stepping over the rubble of what used to be a very busy bar, Tifa's 7th Heaven as a matter of fact, Reeve stopped and stood, his gaze sweeping over fallen bar stools and an overturned refrigerator. Silently, he moved to the right, where an old game machine stood, slightly damaged but in better repair than most of the other things in the sector 7 slums. That was only to be expected when things no smaller than a Midgar plate fell atop it. And when things no more powerful than Meteor ravaged that plate. 

Not usually one to waste his time with things as trivial as pinball games, despite having lived through Cait Sith, who posed as a toysaurus, Reeve surprised himself when he reached out to push the start button on the side of the machine. With a violent jolt, the old machine creaked and groaned as it descended into the basement of the bar. Again, to his surprise, Reeve found himself in the midst of what appeared to be a spy base, with things such as video monitors and other mechanical gadgets, and even a large, red punching bag in the far corner. 

Avalanche, he reminded himself. Tifa and Barrett and Cloud were members of Avalanche. _That explains that_, he thought. 

He started as he noticed a massive pool of mako in the middle of the room - how he could have missed it in the first place was a mystery to be pondered later. A familiar pair of bright, glittering mako-colored eyes, ever-sweet and innocent appeared in the translucent green liquid, blinking as they beckoned him to their own ghostly image. They seemed to be smiling - somehow, in a strangely feminine fashion - and he relaxed slightly. 

Aeris. 

He warily took a step toward the emerald shallows and, as he drew nearer, noticed a small orange crystal, sticky with half-dry mako clinging to its strangely perfect roundness. He knelt to pick up the orb, which was glowing faintly, and he heard the sweetly melodic laugh, which could only belong to her beautiful eyes, in a chord - bittersweet in its entirety - within his soul. When the beautiful peals of wondrous laughter finally ceased, he heard - felt - the planet singing out in simplistic joy. It was a sound of freedom. 

"_Use it wisely,_" the familiar voice whispered. With that, the eyes disappeared, and Reeve felt himself alone once more in the basement. 

Gazing into the strange orange materia orb, he toyed with his PHS. The vibrant orange color was marbled with a deep scarlet that faded into a light pink near the outside. It emitted a subtle warmth and Reeve turned it around and around in his palm. Finally, he dialed in Tifa's number and waited. 

"Hello?" Tifa answered. 

"Tifa, this is Reeve. Come to the sector 7 slums. I'm at the ruins of 7th Heaven. I have something I think might interest you." 

~~~<~~@ *** @~~>~~~ 

Vincent pushed a bit of rubble out of his way with his foot and looked around in quiet appraisal. Sector 5 had escaped almost unharmed. Surprisingly, an old church sat perfectly unscathed - save for its previous damages. Upon entering, he found a thriving bed of yellow flowers, and suddenly it came to him. This was the flower garden Aeris had talked about so often, longingly, after they'd met. Of course. Only a person like Aeris could nurture something so beautiful in a place like Midgar. 

Vincent took a few certain strides toward the holy little flower patch to be halted by a voice from behind. He berated himself for not hearing her approach, what with his excellent senses that Hojo had cursed him with. He turned to face the stranger, glowering at her, yet he was only angry with himself. 

"Excuse me, young man. What do you think you're doing here?" 

Vincent walked until he was towering over her, his cape rustling only a bit, and stared emotionlessly at the women with his glowing, russet eyes. She wasn't the least bit intimidated by the man with a claw for a left arm and stared right back, a bit sorrowfully. 

"It seems I've stumbled across something belonging to a friend." 

The woman - perhaps in her mid-forties - gave a strange, mournful laugh before stating, "Young man, this flower garden used to belong to my daughter. She died almost three years ago." The woman turned to leave, but not before addressing him one last time. "Please," she continued in a tearful voice. "Leave this place. Leave this woman's memories the way she remembers them." 

"I remember Aeris saying her mother had died when she was little." He surprised himself my saying that. He preferred not to converse about the past. 

"Aeris was my adopted daughter. My name is Elmyra Gainsborough." She turned to leave again, trying to hide the tears beginning to pool in the corners of her eyes.. "If you would... please... come to my house. I want to hear about how you knew Aeris," Elmyra called to him, not bothering to look back to see whether he was following or not. 

Vincent turned to look at the small miracle Aeris had endowed this Planet with. 

_Requiescat en pace, Aeris._

End of Chapter 2


	3. Heading East

"Will You Remember Me?" - Chapter 3 ** Chapter 3: Heading East **

Sometimes, when she took a good, long look at herself in the mirror, Tifa realized that she'd changed so much in the past three months, yet at the same time, nothing about her had seemed to change at all. But it was still hard to believe that she was where she was. There were still times, though, when she managed to convince herself that she was the same old Tifa Lockheart of Nibelheim, 23 years old, born May 3, brunette, 5'4", perfect figure, always cheerful. 

But even those who'd known her only for the past three months could detect a dramatic change in the diminutive brunette. When she first arrived, she had her glove and materia by her side, day and night. She was ever-cheerful, but jumpy and tense and often easily provoked into battle with any of the occasional wandering monsters that ventured too near. Yet shortly after her arrival she began to loosen up. She'd hidden her Premium Heart, materia and ceased battling and training in the fields outside of Nibelheim and went out with her new college friends more and more every week. 

She gave up her simple traveling attire of a comfortable skirt and white shirt for more elaborate clothing the young women her age preferred to wear. Simple cosmetics - blush, lip gloss, perfume - found their way into her bedroom. It seemed her two roommates were plotting against her old, well-worn lifestyle, but she didn't care. This particular member of the Planet's saviors was relishing her new life. College life was just as exciting as they said, in that non-dangerous, sweetly boring, not-a-thing-to-do-with-one's-time kind of way. She loved it! 

It was a small university outside Rocket Town - so close she could see the rocket tilting at the same crazy angle, and she even imagined she could hear Cid yelling at poor Shera occasionally. 

But she never made any attempt to contact either of them, or any of her other comrades. _Let them live their normal lives in peace... they don't need me interfering._

"Tif," Megan called out from the bathroom of Tifa's house. "Do you have any of that Cloud Nine lipstick left? I'm all out of my Seventh Heaven. It was such a pretty shade, too!" she pouted as she stuck her red ringlet-framed face out of the bathroom inquiringly. Lindsay, Tifa's second roommate, promptly pitched a pair of dirty jeans at her friend with a laugh and Megan cried out it surprise, laughing as she chucked it back at Lindsay. 

Tifa giggled at the two and continued studying for her Cetra History course, which had developed into her favorite. "Go in my room. It'll be on my dresser next to my perfume!" She resumed studying as Lindsay and Megan began arguing over a necklace or something equally trivial. Finding herself unable to concentrate, she slammed the book shut, sighing and standing to stretch. The history of the Cetra was actually quite fascinating, and she often found herself wishing that she could ask Aeris some of the many questions she'd developed since enrolling in the course. She often wondered if even Aeris herself knew some of the things about her people that Tifa had learned. 

She thought a minute, then called out to her friends upstairs. "So, where is it you two are going again?" 

"Don't really know yet," Lindsay replied, padding down the stairs with Megan in tow. "We were thinking maybe Costa del Sol." She brushed a lock of her blond hair away from her face and cocked her head to the side, thinking. 

As if on cue, Megan added, "You should reconsider. You need to get away from this place! Come one, come with us, Tif!" 

"I... I don't know, you guys. I was almost thinking about going to Wutai or Corel or Rocket Town or Cosmo Canyon." 

"I can see Wutai or maybe even Cosmo Canyon, but Corel or Rocket Town?! At least Wutai is a tourist trap! The others aren't anything special at all! I mean, come on, this is spring break!" Megan laughed. 

Lindsay smacked Megan's arm, then nodded knowingly to Tifa. "You should go. It's been a while since you've seen them. You should go visit." 

She was right. It had been a while since she'd seen the others. Tifa nodded, looking down at the wooden planks that made up her floor, when the shrill ring of the PHS startled her out of her musings. 

"Hello?" Tifa answered, surprised. _Who could it be? Cloud...?_

"Tifa, this is Reeve. Come to the Sector 7 slums. I'm at the ruins of 7th Heaven. I have something I think might interest you." 

Click. 

She stood there for a long moment in shock. Her 7th Heaven was still recognizable?! Only did the vacant beeping of the PHS, still being held to her ear, spur her into action. "Oh my God! I have to go!" 

"Where?" Lindsay blinked in surprise. 

"Reeve found something in my old bar he wants to show me! I have to get going to Midgar!" Tifa rushed upstairs and began packing insanely, throwing this and that into various bags, 6 in all. _If this were the old days, I'd only have had one - for food and for clothes!_ She laughed to herself at her very true revelation. She _had_ changed. 

"Reeve?" Megan asked, glancing at Lindsay to see if maybe she knew what Tifa was babbling about. 

"You had a bar?" Lindsay asked, wrinkling her nose. 

"Remember? Reeve's the ShinRa executive I told you about. The one behind Cait Sith. And yes, when I lived in Midgar, I had a bar in the Sector 7 slums." 

Tifa laughed aloud as she remembered that these two younger girls knew virtually nothing of her past outside what was common knowledge, and stopped her packing for a moment to explain in further detail. 

Suddenly, she had a crazy idea. She rushed to the piano, under which she had stored all of her gloves, and gave it a heaving shove out of the way. After a bit of rummaging, she picked out three and threw two of them to Lindsay and Megan. "You guys know how to use materia, right?" 

"Uh... yeah, I guess," Lindsay replied, staring blankly at the glove she'd been thrown. 

"Well? What are you waiting for?! Put them on! Now, come here, and I'll equip you with some of my materia." 

"Tifa, you're scaring me," Megan remarked sarcastically. "What are you getting at?" 

"You guys are coming with me! So go and pack some comfortable traveling clothes, something easy to move around in, nothing restricting in case we have to fight on the way..." Tifa began making a mental list of the things they'd need. Plenty of food, a tent of course, lots of potions and ethers and, God forbid they need them, phoenix downs... she'd have to check the local stables for the fastest chocos available... 

"So, why, exactly, have you decided to invite us?" Lindsay queried, interrupting her silent musings. 

"Well, I would like to say 'because I would like to let you in on my past,' but if you want the truth, it's because I'm not used to traveling alone and I don't know if I could handle it." Tifa sighed and snatched a piece of paper and a pen from her binder and scrawled out her mental list before she forgot, then ripped it in half, giving each girl one half. 

"If you would, please do each thing on the list. We'll be leaving in exactly one hour. I'll get four chocos saddled and readied and-" She stopped suddenly. "You guys _are_ coming, right?" 

"S-sure," Megan stammered, staring at the list she'd been given, confused. 

"Right on!" Lindsay exclaimed, having always been one to take up the challenge. 

"Okay then, let's get to it." 

~~~<~@***@~>~~~ 

The sun was just setting as Cloud arrived at Tifa's old childhood abode. He had more or less constantly berated himself for letting her leave, and even though he'd tried his hardest to continue his research on the Cetra and the city at the Capital, his days were more and more becoming a guilt-ridden torture. After the months of idle worrying had worn him down to near nothingness, he'd determinedly set out for the first place she said she'd be: Nibelheim. 

His heart gave a strange little flutter as he came upon her house, as peaceful and inviting as ever. Reining in his chocobo, he hurriedly hopped of his mount and made his way for the quaint front door to her house. After giving it a few uncertain knocks, which sounded sickeningly hollow and empty, he turned away, severely disheartened. 

"I'm sorry son," an old man's gravelly voice called out from the other side of the commons. He was rocking back and forth on an old, wooden rocking chair. "The young woman and her companions I assume you're looking for left earlier this afternoon. Think they said they were heading east." 

Cloud's heart gave a start, and he quickly made his way to the old man sitting outside his doorway. "You know Tifa well?" he asked hopefully. 

The old man gave a laughing cough. "I'd like to say I do. Nibelheim isn't that big, you know. We all know each other pretty well here." 

"So... maybe you could tell me what Tifa's been up to in the past few months?" 

The old man motioned for him to pull up the other chair and he himself leaned back in his own giving a great sigh and pondering on the question of why this young fellow would want to know about the Lockheart girl. When the young man had seated himself, he began. 

"Well, I don't know _that_ much about her, seeing as I like to stay out of people's business. Not polite to intrude too much, I always say. I know she came back home a few months ago. Don't know where she'd come back from, but she'd been all over, she says. I suppose one has to when looking for that character, Sephiroth." Cloud's body unconsciously tensed at the mention of his former hero turned fallen soul. 

"Anyhow, all I know is she came back from somewhere, joined up with some college of some sort - Near Rocket Town, I think - she's living with two younger women by the names of Lindsay and Megan, and they sure rushed out of here in a mad hurry, a fourth chocobo all strapped down with traveling bags... poor bird. Seems as if they'll be gone for quite some time, with all the bags they had." 

Getting up to go, Cloud thanked the old man. As he made his way back to his chocobo, who was impatiently clawing at the ground and searching the grass nearby for food, the man called out to him. "Say, son, what's your name again?" 

"Cloud! Cloud Strife!" He put his foot in the saddle and swung his other leg up and over his steed's back, earning him an angry "wark" for being away for so long. He tugged on the reins and pulled the chocobo's head around and the man questioned him again. 

"_The_ Cloud Strife?! The one who lives right on over there?" He pointed to the replica of Cloud's old home. 

"That's right," Cloud replied as he trotted past the old man. Leaving the man in shock and disbelief, Cloud argued with himself as to what he should do next. He still had research awaiting him back at the Capital, yet he'd gotten near to nothing done in the past few months, with all his time progressively being dedicated to thinking about his old friend and neighbor. _Well_, he thought. _Head east or go back? Nothing to lose either way... except a friend... and maybe the love of my life._

He wheeled his mount around and urged the chocobo into a gallop away from the setting sun. 

End of Chapter 3 


	4. In Her Memory

"Will You Remember Me?" - Chapter 4 ** Chapter 4: In Her Memory **

"So..." Elmyra said as she carefully set down the steaming cup of tea on the table before Vincent. She pulled her tattered cloak closer about her shoulders as she slowly walked to the other side of the table and sat. She sipped her own tea while patiently awaiting the ex-Turk's response. 

Vincent searched his mind for something to say, but didn't come up with much. He cleared his throat and said, "She talked of you and her flowers often." 

Elmyra laughed sadly. "She did love her flowers. She'd often go out in the middle of the night and sit talking to them. In return, they grew so beautifully for her. I'm afraid I haven't kept them up as well as she would have liked." She turned to look out her window at the flower garden and Vincent followed her gaze. 

"Tell me, did she find out much about her Cetra heritage?" Elmyra inquired. 

"I'm sorry to say I don't think she did. Other than what we found at the Temple of the Ancients, there weren't many resources, not even in the City," he said. "We did happen to find a bit out about Ifalna, though." 

"Oh, please tell me about her," she asked eagerly. 

"We found her old home in Icicle Inn. Aeris' father was the ShinRa scientist, Professor Gast. Gast originally had plans to record Ifalna's knowledge about the Cetra. We found a few of their video-recorded sessions. Some of the later videos were about Aeris' birth as well as the months afterward." 

"Vincent... how did she... die?" 

"We don't know. One video showed the Turks coming and killing Gast. We know nothing more about Ifalna than what was on those videos." 

"I... meant Aeris..." she corrected, her voice barely audible. She was gazing down at her wooden table, swirling the remaining tea around in the cup. 

Vincent was mildly surprised at this, assuming Cloud had told Elmyra. "When we were near the City of the Ancients, she ran off. We found her later on an alter in the Capital, summoning Holy." 

Elmyra smiled proudly, yet an expression of pain was apparent in her features. 

"Cloud, who was under Sephiroth's mind control, attempted to slay her. When he finally resisted it, Sephiroth himself came down from above and... ran her through with his Masamune." 

Elmyra looked down at the table, tears threatening to spill over. Even though Aeris was her adopted daughter, the little girl who had turned into the beautiful young woman had captured her heart. The pain of her loss would never cease. 

After a brief silence, Vincent said, "If I may, I was going to ask if I could take a few of her flowers to the Capital, where we laid her to rest. I would like to plant them by the lake, in her memory. You may come if you wish." Vincent stood silently and slowly moved toward the door. 

"Yes, please, I would... love to visit her grave," Elmyra responded, voice catching as she wiped the tears form her eyes. 

End of Chapter 4 


	5. What's In A Name?

"WIll You Remember Me?" - Chapter 5 **Chapter 5: What's in a Name?**

It was almost dark when Tifa, Lindsay, and Megan arrived in Midgar. They'd traveled almost entirely without incident, save for the few remaining monsters around Midgar. 

Tifa knew by heart the way to get to Sector 7 and hurriedly guided her companions to its remains. The immediate area was so cluttered with the plate's rubble that it was almost impossible to travel through it. _Not much of a change_, Tifa thought giddily as she hopped down off of her chocobo and motioned for Lindsay and Megan to do the same. 

"It's not much further, and I don't want to take the risk of one of the chocos getting injured," Tifa explained when they protested. 

"Sure, so you don't care if we get injured, is that it?" Megan complained as they tramped through the cracked cement and remains of like on the plate. 

"Hey, if you get hurt, you still have a chocobo to carry you back to Nibelheim. On the other hand, if the choco gets hurt, _you'll_ be the one carrying _him_ back to town," Tifa laughed. 

"Tif," Lindsay said, looking around at the remnant homes and other buildings. "I thought you said that the Sector 7 plate fell on the slums. This looks quite a bit clearer than I would have imagined." 

"Tifa!" a faraway voice shouted. 

Tifa squinted to see the figure frantically waving its hands standing next to her 7th Heaven. She took of running to it, not bothering to make sure her friends were with her. 

"Reeve!" She ran to him and flung herself into his arms joyously. 

He smiled. "Wow. Nice to see you too, Tifa," he laughed. 

"Tifa......thanks for...... waiting," Megan coughed. 

"Oh, stop complaining, you baby." Lindsay smacked Megan's arm, nearly causing her fall over from her exhaustion. 

As they began quarreling like five year olds, Reeve, bewildered, looked at Tifa who was busy rolling her eyes at their behavior, and she smiled up at him. "Reeve...my roommates, Lindsay and Megan. Lindz...Megs, this is Reeve." 

"Oh yeah. Tifa told us you were that Cait Sith character," Megan supplied. 

"Yes, that's true. Pleased to meet you both. Now, on to business." He led them inside a slightly tidied up 7th Heaven and seated himself at one of the two remaining tables. 

"Now, I contemplated calling the others for this, but I figured I might only need your help, Tifa." She nodded and he continued. "I was wandering through Midgar, maybe hoping to find survivors living amongst the wreckage, and happened upon this place - and your old spy base." 

Tifa's eyebrows shot up at this. "How on earth could you have just stumbled on something like _that_?" 

He shrugged and grinned. "Pure luck. Anyway, I did, and in the center of the room is a small crack in the earth leaking mako. Pretty much the whole floor is covered with the stuff. But you'll never believe what I found." 

"What?" She sat forward eagerly in her unstable chair, causing it to lean severely to the right. 

Reeve laughed. "You might think that I've lost my mind, but this is true. I would swear upon the Planet that Aeris' spirit was there in the mako. I saw her eyes right there in the center. And right there along with them was this." 

He pulled the materia orb out of his jacket and held it up in the dim light shining in from outside. Tifa's eyes widened and she leaned forward cautiously to take it from his hand. She examined the orange and scarlet sphere, turning it this way and that in the light. Wide eyed and speechless, she looked up at him again. 

"What is this? It looks nothing like what I've ever seen!" 

"Okay, that answers question one: 'Have you ever seen this before?' I have no idea myself. I've never seen any materia like this." 

Despite her efforts to remain serious, Tifa commented offhandedly, "Maybe you should have called Yuffie in for this." She rolled the orb around in her hand and admiring its marble-like appearance. She handed it back reluctantly. 

Reeve grinned and plucked the offered orb from Tifa's upturned palm, pocketing it. "As a matter of fact, I considered that for a moment, but I assumed that maybe you'd know something about it. But your reaction proves me wrong." 

She nodded and carefully leaned back in her unruly chair, sparing a quick smile at her addled comrades. "It confuses me, though," she commented after a few moments of silent thoughts, a slight frown marring her usually cheery countenance. "I know that there is materia growing in the mako fountain in Mt. Nibel, but I thought that it was otherwise produced only in Mako reactors. I just assumed it couldn't grow elsewhere." 

He nodded and replied, " I was wondering about the same thing. If materia grows in Mt. Nibel, then why haven't we heard of it growing in Mideel? Mideel is much larger, after all." 

They fell silent again, pondering the possibilities, as well as the impossibilities, when Lindsay spoke up for the first time. "Maybe the Lifestream in Nibelheim is more condensed than Mideel's," she remarked, surprising Tifa. She shrugged, noticing the shocked looks on Tifa's and Reeve's faces, and suddenly feeling very self-conscious in the presence of who she considered to be the "experts." "I don't know. It's just a guess." 

"No, it's a good suggestion," Reeve assured. "We're open to everything." 

"Well, " Tifa mused aloud, "Lindsay's major is Planet Science, and Megan's is the study of the Lifestream..." She trailed off, considering the options. "Would you two mind if we dropped you off in Cosmo Canyon to study this materia with Nanaki and the elders?" 

"Sure, why not?" Megan replied. 

"I'd love to do whatever I can to help out!" Lindsay smiled. 

"What are you thinking, Tifa?" Reeve asked of his brunette comrade, who was lost in thought. 

"Well, I believe that the elders might be able to provide us with some information on materia growth. Nanaki had appropriated many of the books from the ShinRa mansion shortly after Meteor had been destroyed. And now that I think about it, Yuffie might prove to be useful working there as well." 

He laughed and warned jokingly, "Nanaki will have to guard that materia with his life from Yuffie's kleptomaniac tendencies." 

Tifa laughed with him and imagined poor Nanaki having to sleep on it to keep it out of the reach of the sneaky ninja's grubby grasp. She continued, "I also want to make use of the Highwind and go to the Forgotten Capitol. There's something I need to do there. But we should stop by Nibelheim for a few days to gather provisions. We might also find more information in the mansion." 

"Well, that takes care of Nanaki, Yuffie, Cid, you, and me. What about Barrett, Vincent, and Cloud?" Reeve questioned. The diminutive brunette looked down at the table thoughtfully. "Barrett has his hands full with Corel and Marlene, and I haven't heard from Vincent since Northern Crater. I'm not sure whether he has his PHS any longer. As for Cloud..." 

She paused as a lump in her throat formed and her chest tightened. She cleared her throat and finished. "I haven't heard from him in months." She looked away, blinking back the tears that threatened to come forth. 

Reeve gave a slight nod and looked at her curiously, but didn't venture to ask her anything. 

Breaking the strange silence, Megan queried, "What are you going to call it, by the way.? You can't just keep calling it 'that materia' or whatever." Her voice sounded strange in the dead silence. 

Thankful for the aversion, Tifa shrugged, and for several minutes suggestions were volleyed across the table in four directions. Among the dozens of prospects, none seemed suitable for the glowing orb. It couldn't be a specific name, for they had no idea of the materia's purpose, which made the task much more difficult than expected. 

Tifa closed her eyes and leaned back, as if to help her concentrate, and a ghostly pair of sparkling emerald eyes flashed before her mind's eye, followed by the painful image of Cloud holding Aeris' lifeless body. Her eyes snapped open as the word struck her like bolt spell. 

"What about Cetra?" 

"Cetra..." Reeve looked down at the shimmering globe and nodded. 

End of Chapter 5 


	6. Questions Unanswered

**Chapter 6 - Questions Unanswered**

The sun was dipping slowly into the sea and the Cosmo Candle was taking over the job of brightening Cosmo Canyon when Tifa and her companions arrived. The canyon walls seemed to glow deep crimson and orange, with help from the Candle, giving the impression that Cosmo Canyon was awash in flames. Beautiful as it was, it still managed to come across as highly disconcerting to the young woman. Despite the fact that Time had worn down the harsh edges of the memory, the sight of the canyon walls aglow tended to remind her of Nibelheim, when Sephiroth - 

Tifa shuddered involuntarily at the thought and returned her attention to cautiously climbing the stone steps ascending the wall to Bugenhagen's observatory. Her thoughts turned to their destination. She wondered momentarily just how the elders had managed to build such a structure at the precarious heights at which it now stood. 

"Welcome, friends!" She heard Nanaki call out from the topmost mesa, where the true entrance to the observatory was located. "It is a pleasant surprise to see you!" He disappeared briefly and quite suddenly came out of the cave mouth before them. 

"He... talks?" Megan whispered to Tifa, obviously surprised at the enigma commonly called Nanaki. 

"Of course I speak, miss. As did all of my people before me, and as you do now," Nanaki replied, flattening his ears and flicking his flame-tipped tail slightly. 

"I'm sorry, uh, sir. Megan has a debilitating case of foot-in-mouth-before-brain-in-gear disease. You surprised the poor, simple child." Lindsay explained cooly, ignoring the virulent glare she received from Megan. 

He laughed at this and apologized. "Do not worry. This Planet has given birth to many strange beings. Many stranger than I, mind you. But tell me, "he said. "What brings you four here? Something tells me this isn't merely a social call." 

On cue, Tifa reached into her bag and withdrew the mysterious materia. "Unfortunately, no, it isn't. Reeve's found something I'm sure you'll find interesting." 

Nanaki examined the orb for a moment, then nodded grimly. "I feel a great power from this materia, such as I've never felt before. Come, let us go to the observatory." 

— 

"So, you are unsure of the materia's purpose?" 

Reeve, nodded. "We sort of nicknamed it 'Cetra'." He and Nanaki were seated at a large, round, wooden table, with the materia orb resting at the center. After an as detailed as possible explanation, Nanaki agreed that having Megan and Lindsay in Cosmo Canyon to research. 

"I admit, I do find your vision interesting. Perhaps a spirit from the Lifestream was attempting communication?" Nanaki commented thoughtfully. "I have heard of such things before, and a few resources in the Hall of Records also recount a few such incidents. You said the voice sounded like Aeris?" 

Reeve cleared his throat and replied, "Yes, it was most definitely her voice." 

Silence descended upon the two as they both sat there in deep contemplation. 

"Any ideas yet?" Reeve asked hopefully. 

"No. You?" 

"Not a thing... You know, once Yuffie catches wind of this, I'm sure she'll be more than eager to 'help'." 

Nanaki laughed. "I'm sure. We might have a hard time keeping the thing in our possession. But really," he said, sobering slightly. "She might be of some help, being the materia expert she is. This group often underestimates our young friend." 

"That's what I told Tifa back in Midgar. I think she was planning on asking Cid to pick her up in Wutai in the Highwind," Reeve replied, leaning back in his chair and stretching. 

"You are tired, my friend. You must get some rest." He stood, stretching himself, and came up beside Reeve. "But first, I'd like to place the materia elsewhere for safekeeping - " 

Tifa suddenly burst into the room, white as a sheet, clutching her PHS in her right hand. "Reeve, we need to get to Nibelheim immediately! My neighbor just called, absolutely frantic, saying that something's wrong in the mountains and - " 

"Tifa, calm down! Tell us what she said." Reeve guided her to the table and made her sit. 

She took a deep breath. "I think she said something about lava coming down the mountain, right for Nibelheim and they're evacuating the town..." 

Reeve went to the window and pulled the curtain aside. Glancing out, he saw twilight settling in on the horizon, outlining the peaceful Nibel mountain range. He frowned and slowly shook his head, not feeling quite right about the view. "It will take us a few hours to reach Nibelheim by chocobo, and that's if they're well rested, which ours aren't. Nanaki, does anyone in the village have a buggy?" 

Nanaki shook his head regretfully. "Perhaps you could contact Cid. It will only take about 45 minutes from Rocket Town in the Highwind. 

"Tifa, you call Cid, and then call Yuffie and have her come to Cosmo Canyon ASAP. I'll try to contact the others." 

Reeve looked grimly out the window again and silently cursed the placid facade the scene held. 

— 

"Yo, Red!" 

He looked up, perturbed. That 'name' was just a painful reminder of Shinra, Hojo, and that past was better left in the shadows. But he let it go, forcing himself to lower his hackles in favor of a calm reprimand. His tail still twitched in annoyance. 

"Greetings, Yuffie. And I do ask you to refrain from using that distasteful name, and call me by my true name." 

"Oh, sorry Re - Nanaki." She grinned sheepishly and set her knapsack on the table. It was stuffed full, and no doubt weighty with the Ninja's extensive collection of materia inside. "So, where is it?" 

Nanaki sighed and stood, nudging the book he'd been poring over closed with one paw. "I'm afraid there's no time for that right now. I'm assuming Tifa told you what was happening in Mt. Nibel?" 

"Briefly. She sounded really upset... is she alright?" 

"She's doing as good as expected, under the circumstances. No doubt it is reminding her of the last time." He walked into the adjoining room. 

She almost asked what he meant, until she realized it on her own. Tifa had lost one Nibelheim to Shinra. Yuffie was sure she wouldn't want to lose another to whatever the hell was plaguing the mountain village this time. 

The ninja started to ask Nanaki whether anything else weird was going on, but she was cut short. 

"Shh! Listen." 

She stepped into the room occupied by an incredible array of machinery and was almost deafened as a multi-toned shriek washed over them both. She looked over at her feline companion, almost nauseated by the force and intensity of the scream. He stood not far away, hackles raised, ears flattened, teeth bared, and battle-ready. 

"That was by far the loudest I've hear. It's becoming worse than when Shinra was around." 

"Becoming?! You mean this has been going on for a while?" Yuffie screeched incredulously. 

"Let us leave this room first. Then I will explain." 

— 

Under normal circumstances, Yuffie Kisaragi of Wutai would have been thrilled at the discovery of a new kind of materia. "It's probably a specialized materia, like Holy and Meteor," she speculated silently, studying the orb from afar. It winked at her mockingly, the light from the lantern in the corner dancing in and around the sphere, almost like it was begging her to uncover its purpose. 

She picked it up and gazed inquiringly at it. "What are you supposed to do?" She asked softly. 

"At this point, it is useless." 

Yuffie jumped, nearly dropping the precious sphere. She grimaced at the thought of a beautiful materia orb like that hitting the ground and shattering into a zillion pieces. 

"Gawd, cat, you scared the pee outta me!" She shakily placed the sphere back on the table. "And hey, Aeris thought the White materia was useless too, and look how wrong she was! And she was an Ancient, too!" 

"It is possible for materia to have no use. At least non that the human mind can comprehend," Lindsay stated cryptically as they all took seats around the table. 

"I'm not human. I'm a ninja. And a materia expert. And I've never seen any useless materia in my life." 

"It is possible, Yuffie," Nanaki interjected quietly, hoping not to anger the young woman, and knowing his gesture was futile. 

"Yeah? Well, whatever. You're obviously going to take her side in this 'cuz she's smarter than me." She crossed her arms and turned away from him, staring out the window. 

"Anyway," he said, glancing at the brunette, who deliberately had her back turned on him. "We need to figure out what could possibly be terrorizing Nibelheim. Mt. Nibel has never before been a volcano, much less an active one. It seems odd..." 

Megan and Lindsay stated their agreement, when Yuffie suddenly stood up and went to the window she's previously been staring out of. "Hey, didn't Tifa's neighbor say that lava was coming down the mountain?" 

"Yes." He sounded annoyed. "Why?" 

"Well, then why isn't there any smoke, or any fire for that matter. I may not be as smart as you all, but I'm bright enough to know that molten lava is hot, and hot plus wood equals fire, which in turn equals lots and lots of smoke. Am I right?" She gave them all a look that they dare not disagree. 

"Uh, well, Nibelheim is far away, right?" Megan supplied uncertainly. 

Nanaki sighed and went to the window himself. "Yes, but not far enough that we'd be blind to anything of this magnitude." 

"Then, what is going on?" Megan asked, exasperation plainly evident in her voice. 

"That seems to be unanswered question number one of a million," Yuffie mumbled under her breath. 


End file.
